Cheeseburgers
by SardonyxRosetta
Summary: Haruhi Fujioka arrives home to an entryway full of fast food and has an immediate adverse reaction-much to the horror of her husband. But the fun doesn't stop there! A surprising discovery is made, and Haruhi must figure out how to deal with the unexpected emotions that her tumultuous childhood bring to the surface.


When Haruhi finally came home from a long day at her law firm, the last thing she expected to see was a room full of cheeseburgers. Sure, she had come home to roses, chocolates, even peacocks, but never mountain upon mountain of fast-food. And, of course, the culprit was sitting in the very center of the room, beaming up at her like an unyielding sun. That is, until his bright blue eyes settled on Haruhi's expression.

"What," she asked calmly, "is this?"

Tamaki pasted on an award-winning smile despite the fear hidden just under the surface. "Why, a room full of cheeseburgers, of course!"

She put her hands on her hips, tapping the toe of her shiny black heels on the marble floor. "Would you mind explaining to me exactly why all of...these," she motioned to the Mount Everest of meat, "are taking up the entire entryway?"

"Because," Tamaki began confidently, "because... because..." He was unable to form coherent sentences the moment he met her eyes, his brain melting out of his ears as her heated gaze bore down on him. "Because... reasons," he finished quietly, toeing the ground with his polished black shoes.

Haruhi had to resist the urge to roll her eyes as the overwhelming smell of cheeseburgers consumed her. "Tamaki," she said, the frustration in her voice evident. "Can you not think of anything more specific than "reasons?"

"FINE!" Tamaki cried, the back of his hand pressed to his forehead to aid in his dramatics. "They're for you. They're all for you! I just wanted you to be able to relax and enjoy yourself with a wealth of commoner's cheeseburgers, which you seemed to enjoy so immensely only the day before!"

She stared at him blankly. Sure, she had been craving a crappy cheeseburger yesterday, but now faced with a wall of them, Haruhi's appetite had vanished. In fact, the whole experience was getting to be rather...nauseating.

"You just work so hard," he continued, gazing off into the distance, "and I wanted you to come home to something you enjoyed. But," he sniffed, "I see now that my gift was perhaps not as glorious as I first thought." He finished off his theatrics with a large sigh and a pout.

"Tamaki," Haruhi said quietly, stepping forward. "I appreciate it, really I do. But..." she paused, the disgusting stench of thousands of greasy burgers overwhelming her. She had managed to eat three of these "commoner's cheeseburgers" not 24 hours ago when the craving for greasy goodness had gripped her, but today the smell made her want to—

"But?" Tamaki whimpered, staring up at her with watery eyes as Antoinette bounded past them and dove into a nearby pile of burgers.

Haruhi's attempts to breathe solely through her mouth failed her as she gagged. Hard.

"Darling?"

She was off in a flash, pounding down the hallway as her heels echoed off of the spotless marble.

"Haruhi!"

She made it to a bathroom just in time to empty the contents of her stomach. Tamaki skidded to a stop in the doorway and, after realizing just what had overcome his beloved wife, began to shout. "Help! We need some help in here!"

"Tamaki," Haruhi mumbled, her cheek still firmly planted against the porcelain, "I'm fine. Calm down."

"But darling—"

"Really," she insisted, flapping her hand in his general direction. "It was just the smell of those burgers..."

"But how could that have changed overnight?!" he exclaimed, peering down at her. She answered by retching yet again. "Oh dear," he murmured.

Help arrived not seconds later in the form of two maids and a butler. "Tamaki, I'd really rather prefer it if they didn't have to see this," Haruhi tried to insist, but Tamaki remained adamant. Between the four of them, they managed to get Haruhi to their bedroom, into more comfortable clothes, and neatly tucked into bed. By that time, Haruhi's nausea had all but vanished. "Really," she insisted, "I feel fine. You don't need to baby me."

"That may well be," Tamaki replied, feeling her forehead for a fever, "but I'm not going to risk it. The doctor should be here shortly."

"You seriously called the doctor?" She laughed. "I know you're worried, but all I did was throw up a couple times. I bet you they'll say it was only stress."

"Better safe than sorry," he insisted, standing to stretch. "I just hope it's not something I can catch."

"How sympathetic of you," Haruhi said dryly.

He smiled down at her, eyes sparkling. "You mistake me my dear. If it's contagious I won't be able to sleep next to you, and we know how sad I get when I can't be your big spoon."

She rolled her eyes and flopped down onto the pillows. "Dummy." Despite her words, a small blush crept across her cheeks.

"I'll be back in a bit." He shot her a smile from near the door. "Get some rest before the doctor gets here.

"Wait, Tamaki, about those cheeseburgers—" He turned back to her with watery eyes. "Just don't let them go to waste, will you? I mean, I'm sorry I didn't get to eat any of them, but don't throw them out. Put them in a compost pile or donate them to a pig farmer or something."

His expression brightened considerably. "Oh Haruhi!" He beamed. "What a grand idea! You always think of the smartest things." With that, he was out the door, leaving Haruhi to her devices. She sighed and sank deeper into her pillows, the soft down enveloping her. Man, her husband could be so exhausting sometimes. Maybe they would have to have another talk about what the word "excessive" meant before there was a repeat incident. Hopefully someday he would understand that the only thing she really wanted after a full day in court was to come home and fall asleep in his arms. Despite her outward annoyance at his constant affections, it was nice to feel cared for.

Not a quarter of an hour later the doctor was ushered into the room with Tamaki close on her heels. As Dr. Kobayashi introduced herself, Tamaki hovered nervously in the background. "Haruhi," he interrupted after a moment, "I have the cheeseburger situation under control now, but the chairman is trying to get me to take care of a few business-related things. I told him I have more pressing matters to deal with, but—"

"I'll be fine," she replied, waving him on. "Nothing I haven't done before."

He stared at her for a moment, not quite convinced. "Are you sure? Don't put on a brave face just for me, now. One word from you and I'll put it all off until later."

She beckoned to him with her finger, and he leaned in closer with apprehension tightening his facial features. She closed the distance between them by pecking him on the cheek. "I'll be fine," she insisted, looking him directly in the eyes. "You can go back to work."

His concern transformed into gentle satisfaction as he straightened. "Alright, dear. I'll be nearby if you need anything."

"Okay."

And with that, Tamaki left the room. "Sorry you had to see that," Haruhi mumbled to Dr. Kobayashi.

"It's quite alright," she replied, a gentle smile gracing her features. "Honestly, I'm surprised he calmed down that quickly. Suoh-san isn't exactly known for being...thoroughly composed."

Haruhi returned her friendly grin. "Once you've spent as much time with him as I have, you start to figure out what brings him back to reality."

They got down to business quickly, being the no-nonsense women that they were, and soon Haruhi was answering question after question in rapid succession.

"Any family history of dizziness or vertigo?"

"Nope."

"Anything else strange happen today besides the nausea and throwing up?

"Nothing besides the cheeseburgers."

"Any breast soreness or irregular bleeding?"

"I don't think so."

"First day of last menstrual cycle?"

"Second day of the month."

"And are you fairly regular?"

"Yep."

"Hm," Dr. Kobyashi said, pausing for a moment.

Haruhi quirked her head to the side. "Something wrong?"

"Have you been using any form of contraception during sex?"

Blood rushed to her cheeks. "I, um, uh..."

Dr. Kobayashi stared back, waiting.

"No, not as of recently."

"Interesting." She tapped her pen against her bottom lip.

"Interesting?"

"Interesting. It could be a simply case of mild food poisoning, or a negative reaction to the smell... but I think the more probable explanation is that you may be pregnant."

Her answer startled her so completely she had no words. She wasn't ignorant—she had known having sex without any form of protection would probably lead to her current situation. But she certainly hadn't expected it to happen so soon. "Are you sure?"

"Not entirely," Dr. Kobayashi replied, "but it seems to be the most likely, especially since your period seems to be late. Morning sickness fits what you've described to me. The name is a little misleading—morning sickness can strike at any time. I know I have a pregnancy test with me," she said, leaning down to grab her bag, "but we'll also do some bloodwork just to make sure the results are correct."

"Okay," Haruhi said faintly, barely managing to blink.

"Mrs. Suoh, are you alright?"

"I..." she trailed off. "I think so?"

Dr. Kobayashi twisted her lips contemplatively. "The thought of carrying a child is a little daunting, isn't it?"

Haruhi managed to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear with shaky hands. "Maybe, yeah. I mean, Tamaki and I have... discussed it, but... wow." She felt like she needed to pull her soul back into her body. Her opinion on kids had always been relatively impartial, but in discussing them with Tamaki, she had grown fond of the idea of having a child or two—career allowing. In any case, it was probably a good idea to confirm that this was even an issue.

Dr. Kobayashi held the box out to her, comfort in her dark brown eyes. "How about we see what this says and then go from there?"

Haruhi took a deep breath and gripped the pink-and-purple packaging. "Let's do this," she said, flinging off the covers and slipping into her house shoes. "I've got nothing to lose at this point."

"Would you like me to go get Suoh-san?"

She shook her head, walking towards the bathroom. "I'm fine, just a little rattled. I don't think I need any more excitement."

Dr. Kobayashi nodded. "Call me if you need anything."

Five minutes later Haruhi was staring at two bright red lines, her eyes the size of relatively modest serving platters. "Holy shit," she murmured, reaching for the door handle with her eyes still glued to the pregnancy test. "Holy shit." She stumbled back into the room. "I think I'm actually pregnant."

The doctor smiled. "Well, isn't that exciting?"

"Understatement of the century," she replied, her voice sounding far-away. She sat back down on the bedsheets, the softness enveloping her.

Dr. Kobayashi began to explain what would happen next as she went about drawing blood, They would analyze the hormones just to be sure, and then they would discuss next steps—obgyns, classes, books she should read, etc. Haruhi could tell Dr. Kobayashi was giving her the shortened version of her spiel, but she still felt like she was drowning in information. "...in the meantime," the doctor continued, "make sure you stay away from alcohol at the very least. I know I have a list somewhere of foods to avoid, though I do think you should try eating something when you feel up to it. Something simple, like miso soup."

"Alright. Thank you," Haruhi said, a hand covering the cotton ball on her inner elbow.

"It's no trouble. Are you feeling a little better?"

"I'm fine," she replied, telling the truth. "It's just a lot to process."

"I understand," the doctor replied. "Just give me a call if the nausea persists. I can give you a prescription that should help with that."

Haruhi thanked the doctor again, and soon she was alone, the expansiveness of the bedroom swallowing her. She sat back against the pillows, the soft chestnut of her hair spilling across the crisp bedsheets. A long breath filled the silence, followed by another muted "holy shit." This was happening. This was really happening. She pulled up the edge of her shirt gingerly, staring down at her pale belly. Everything looked so deceptively normal, and as she ran her fingertips over her soft skin, she realized it felt no different from what she was used to. How...? Nerves gripped at the pit of her stomach, and she pulled her shirt back down sharply

She reached over to the bedside table to grab her phone, opening a new text message. Somehow the thought of getting up seemed so strange—she wanted to lay on the bed, floating in an expanse of sheets until she could process what was going on—but somehow she knew the only way that she would be able to think through the situation was with Tamaki by her side. Slowly, she typed out: "Come find me when you get to a good stopping spot. No rush." He always told her that she could send a servant instead of messaging him, but the thought made her laugh. No sense in making the staff work any harder than they already did.

She got a response in seconds: "Be there in 5 :-)" It was hard to quell the anxious feeling curdling in the bottom of her stomach. How was she supposed to use words, again? She bit her lower lip contemplatively, scrambling for something tangible. Her heart felt like it was beating a million miles a minute, yet the world was moving in slow motion. How...strange.

Suddenly, there was a knock. "Haruhi?" The door swung open to reveal Tamaki, a note of concern still lingering on his face. "So what's the verdict? Is it contagious?"

Haruhi burst out laughing, much to the confusion of her partner. "No," she giggled, trying but failing to stifle her amusement. "It's not contagious, I promise." She was nervous, yet this was the reaction she was having? Hormones were weird.

He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. "Why is that so funny?" he asked, trying to keep the tone light. "Was it stress? I suppose I can't catch stress."

"You'd be surprised," she chuckled, a hand to her forehead.

He blinked, brushing blond strands out of his eyes. "You know, jokes are usually funnier when everyone understands them, my dear."

Haruhi pulled herself to a seated position, a buoy in a sea of sheets. "Come sit down," she said, patting the spot next to her. He obeyed, kicking off his shoes and nestling in. "It's not stress."

"Oh?" He quirked his head to the side.

"I'm-" the words caught in her throat. "I-"

The worry on his face was now readily apparent. "Haruhi darling, what's wrong?"

"I'm pregnant?"

The room was quiet, and every muscle Haruhi had was tense as she stared up at her partner through a veil of dark chestnut. He stared back at her, his hand over his mouth in shock with his eyebrows raised. "Tamaki?" she said, after a moment of excruciating silence. Was he...frozen? "Hey, come on. Stop goofing around. Say something." She reached up to pull his hand down, revealing a sunlit smile and watery eyes.

"Haruhi," he managed to choke out. "Really? Are you really?"

"I mean, I still have to get the blood work back, but I'd say it's pretty certain."

Tamaki nodded, wiping at his eyes with the cuff of his sleeve. "Holy crap," he whispered, squeezing Haruhi's hand as he gently bounced on the mattress. "Is this real? Is this happening?" His cheeks were flushed.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think it is."

"I- I'm... God, I'm so happy, Haruhi, " he said, gratitude rolling off of him in waves. "I still can't-I didn't expect this so fast. It feels like only yesterday we decided to start...trying." He wiped away another tear, and then paused. "Darling?" he asked, reaching up with his free hand to cup the side of her face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm... I'm not sure," she answered, meeting his gaze again.

He leaned in and kissed her gently, stroking her cheek with his thumb. God, she had needed that. "What's going on in that beautiful head of yours?" he asked, their foreheads still touching. "Talk to me."

"Okay, " she murmured. "I'm... I'm terrified. In a good way? I don't know. I'm happy, but, like, I have no idea what to do. My body just feels weird, and floaty, and-"

"Hey," Tamaki interrupted, his voice gentle. "Take a deep breath."

She obeyed, trying to concentrate on the feeling of the pads of his fingers on her cheek. "I'm just scared. What if- what if-" Her eyes closed and her face screwed up like she was trying not to cry.

"Darling," he murmured. "Come on, look at me."

"Can't," she managed to eke out.

"And why's that?" he asked, tone gentle as he fixed the collar on her shirt with his free hand.

"Because," she said, her voice cracking. "Reasons?"

Tamaki couldn't help it—he grinned. "No fair," he chuckled. "If I can't say that, then neither can you. We've talked about this—how you're allowed to cry. So come on. Look at me, and finish what you were saying.

She was met with a comforting cerulean blue when she finally managed to do as he asked, tears rolling down her cheeks. "What... what if I die? Or something?"

He pulled back a little, eyebrows betraying his surprise. "Haruhi, darling..."

"What if something happens to me, and I'm not there anymore? What if they have to grow up without a mom? Hell, what if something happens to both of us? What then?" She tried to hold back a sob-like hiccup, but her attempts were fruitless. So much for composure.

"That's what has you so worked up?" Tamaki asked, sympathy softening the lines of his features. "I'm sorry, Haruhi. I didn't realize... your mom..."

Her eyes were fixed on her hands now, fingers tightly woven together. "I just... I never thought of it before." She hiccuped. "I mean, I know it's not her fault she's gone."

"No," he agreed quietly, his fingers moving to wrap around her bony wrists. "But that doesn't change the fact that you grew up without a mom."

"I- I guess."

"It's okay, Haruhi," he murmured, his grip on her tightening ever so slightly. "It's okay to not want our child to be lonely. Trust me, I don't want that either."

"Okay," she said quietly, staring down at where their bodies were connected. She could feel the heat from his palms on her skin, his touch calming her.

"But," he continued quietly, "I just want you to know: if, God forbid, anything were to happen to us, you know there would be a million other people in this world who would be willing to step in. There's no way they will ever be lonely—not with the friends we have. They'll always have someone to protect them from thunder and lightning, someone to hold their shopping basket when they go to the supermarket. I promise, they'll never be alone unless they want to be. Our little darling will have it all—I wouldn't have it any other way."

The feeling of relief at his words was exhausting, and she let out a shaky sigh of relief. The gnawing in the pit of her stomach hadn't disappeared, but it was certainly smaller. "Thank you," she said, still sniffling a little. He didn't answer, instead pulling her arms around him in an embrace. He held her tight to him, long fingers tangling in her chestnut locks.

"You can't argue with my logic," he said after a moment. "You know I'm always right."

"That's not _quite_ true," she said, her voice muffled by his shirt.

"Details," he replied dismissively. "What I do know," he continued, "is that I love you. I am here for you, and neither you nor our kid will ever have to be alone. I promised you I would never leave you side," he said, dipping down to look her in the eyes, "and I am not about to break that promise. We are going to raise a beautiful baby, and nothing you can say will convince me otherwise."

She buried her head in his chest for the second time, holding him tighter. God, what a wonderful human she had married. Sure, he could be a little airheaded at times, but at least his heart was in the right place. He was right. There was no reason to let her fear overwhelm her. "I love you too," she replied, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

"Love you more," he replied, hand cupping the back of her head.

"Hush."

She wasn't sure how long they lay in bed like that, limbs tangled together in a mess of legs and arms and warmth and breathing. His heartbeat was hypnotic, and her anxiety dissipated in the face of his steadfastness. Despite his grandiose ideas, there was something about him that grounded her, precious moments ticking by as she breathed in his musky scent. She made a sleepy noise of dissatisfaction when he slipped away to use the bathroom, but a gentle kiss to her temple quelled her.

When she heard the bathroom door open her eyes popped open. His frame filled her vision as he stood triumphantly by the bed with a faraway look in his eyes. "I'm gonna be a dad," he said dreamily, hands on his hips. The implication of his words set in slowly, his expression betraying his true emotions. "I... I'm gonna be a dad!" Tamaki exclaimed, whirling to face Haruhi. His cheeks were flushed with excitement, the joy on his face positively child-like. "And you're gonna be a mom! Yes!" he cheered, jumping and twisting midair like his usual self. "And we're going to have such beautiful, wonderful children, and I'm going to spoil them _so much_ , and they're going to learn and grow so fast we won't even know what happened!" He continued to dance around the room, skipping and prancing like a hopeless dork. "And they'll ask so many questions, and explore the world, and experience so many wonderful things! Oh Haruhi, it's going to be so fantastic. I can't wait to tell everyone! I wonder what they'll say." He gazed off into the distance with his hands on his cheeks. "I bet they'll all be so jealous."

Haruhi snorted, "I don't know about being jealous, persay, but I bet they'll be excited."

"Nonsense!" he said with flair, "of course they'll be jealous. They'll wish they had a baby as wonderful as ours."

"There's no way this kid is going to have a smaller ego than you," Haruhi muttered dryly. "No way in hell."

Tamaki pouted, eyes watery. "How cruel, Haruhi. I was just trying to lighten the mood."

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Whatever you say, dear."

He made his way back to the side of the bed, scuffing his feet the whole way. "My ego's not _that_ big," Tamaki grumbled, flopping down next to her. She cracked a smile, running her fingers through his silky locks. He nestled closer to her shoulder, grumpy but slowly softening. He made a small noise of satisfaction as she continued to play with his hair, the golden strands pliable between her digits.

His hand slipped from her hip and under the worn fabric of her t-shirt. Instead of skimming upward, his palm hovered over her stomach, ghosting across the supple skin. "I can't believe it," he murmured, awed. "There's actually a baby in there."

"Soon enough, yeah," Haruhi said. "I think it's really just a glob of cells at this point."

"But it's _our_ glob of cells," Tamaki said dreamily. "I wonder if they can hear me," he continued, the low tones of his voice reverberating gently through her torso.

"I think we need to do some research on how babies actually develop to know the answer to that question."

"Haruhi!" he exclaimed, twisting around to face her with a panicked look on his face. "Haruhi, I think I just felt the baby move!"

She burst out laughing instantly

"Haruhi, I'm serious!"

She laughed harder, nearly bent double in hysterics. "Tamaki, it was just my stomach growling!" she giggled. "I haven't eaten since noon."

He pushed himself up, looking at the clock to see it was already 7pm. "Oh no!" he blurted, looking horrified. "Haruhi, you need to eat! I'll go get something, you stay right here-" He moved to leave, but she caught his hand.

"I want to go too," she said, sitting up. "I feel like getting up."

"But-"

She shushed him. "I need the walk, and I don't feel nauseous anymore." He pulled her to her feet gently, his expression still dubious. "Besides, I don't trust you alone with food after this afternoon."

"That was one time!"

"Right," she said, giving him a look before slipping her arm around his waist. "Now, let's go make food for three."

A smile spread across his face, and he too slipped an arm around her waist. "No cheeseburgers?" he asked as they walked towards the door.

"No cheeseburgers." She smiled, leaning into him. "At least not today."


End file.
